


Holiday Reunion

by thequeensfan1117



Series: Kadam Week 2017 [5]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Not Blaine or Klaine Friendly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-09 18:08:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,323
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11110038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thequeensfan1117/pseuds/thequeensfan1117
Summary: Kurt and Adam have a chance encounter in a soup kitchen.





	Holiday Reunion

**Author's Note:**

> Written for vcg73's Kadam Week 2017 on tumblr. Day 5 Prompt: “Kurt and Adam either meet or reunite while participating in a volunteer event.”
> 
> Though not tagged as such, this fic is not particularly friendly to Rachel, either, as the Funny Girl fiasco is lightly touched upon.

No matter how full his plate was for the holidays, Adam enjoyed going down to soup kitchens and helping feed those less fortunate than himself. It had been a tradition ever since he was a lad in Essex, and it was one he wasn't willing to break now that he lived in America. After all, even after leaving the safety net that was NYADA, he'd still managed to keep a roof over his head and food in his stomach on a consistent basis. He knew, however, that it could all change for him in a heartbeat, and he could very well wind up fulfilling the old 'starving artist' stereotype in no time at all.  

He shook his head to clear it of _that_ less than ideal situation and focus more on this particular soup kitchen. 

It was located in Brooklyn, quite a ways from his own flat. But he still thought that the trek was worth it. The walls were a faded salmon color, and its equipment was worn, yet not so old that it would quickly fall apart. Those running the facility had chosen a brushed metal furnishing for all the tables and various utensils the volunteers would be using in order to create a sense of uniformity. All of it added up to a more homey feel to this place than to others where Adam had offered to help in the past. There was such a huge sense of comfort that Adam himself felt an overwhelming warmth just by standing in this place. 

Knowing he would have to work soon rather than be accused of slacking off, he made his way to his assigned station, only to stop once again at the sound of an all-too-familiar voice. 

"Here you are. Have a happy Thanksgiving." 

Adam felt his heart clench. There was Kurt Hummel, handing out generous spoonfuls of food. Judging by the spot where he was standing, the two of them had been assigned to the same station. 

He sighed. Ever since they'd broken up – and Kurt had gotten himself engaged to his ex-boyfriend – the two of them hadn't even seen each other around NYADA. Working on his senior project and his impending graduation had made it easier for him to avoid the younger man as well. Any information concerning Kurt's life away from their relationship had come from any remaining Apple who had found themselves near him and Blaine – who'd apparently gotten permission to skip the beginner classes in favor of attending almost all of Kurt's current classes.  

In order to maintain some semblance of cordial interaction with Kurt however, he decided to avoid that particular topic of Kurt's life unless the younger man brought him up. 

With a deep breath, he began to walk again so he could reach the station without getting himself reprimanded for standing around doing nothing. He didn't greet Kurt right away, but he was still noticed very quickly. 

"Adam... hi," Kurt practically whispered. 

The slight surprise in his tone made Adam smile unconsciously. He turned on his heel to find those striking glasz eyes peering at him. 

"Hello, Kurt," he said more softly than intended. 

With greetings out of the way, the two of them got to work portioning spoonfuls of the food and handing them out. The lines moved fairly quickly, and more and more guests entered the facility looking for something to eat. Despite the slight awkwardness that lingered between the former couple, Adam tried his best to ignore it for the sake of everyone around him. He could only hope Kurt was doing the same.

* * *

 

A few hours after they'd begun working together, Kurt and Adam were afforded something of a break. This wasn't exactly a reprieve for Kurt, however. Now that his hands and mind were no longer busy, he found himself thinking about the pain seeing Adam again had brought him. Thankfully, he'd been able to avoid the Englishman since the implosion of their relationship and the mutual agreement that Kurt's leaving the Apples was for the best despite NYADA's small size. Well, until now. He didn't know how expected himself to keep any semblance of a level head after remembering all the pain he'd caused Adam. 

Entirely too focused on the hands folded on the table where he now sat, Kurt failed to notice the footsteps approaching him until it was too late. 

"Kurt?" 

He jumped slightly. Where had Adam _come_ from? It had seemed to him that his ex disappeared as soon as the two had no longer been obligated to stand next to each other. That would have been understandable. Hell, he would have even understood Adam freezing him out completely without so much as a greeting earlier. 

But he hadn't done that. And now there he was, standing in front of Kurt with a hesitant smile on his face. 

"Yes?" he asked cautiously. 

He kept his voice as even as possible. No matter how difficult this whole thing wound up being, he had to stay strong. 

"Would you mind terribly if we talked?" Adam asked. 

Kurt nodded and attempted to give him his best smile as he answered the question. 

"Not at all. Please, sit." 

When Adam did so – with a brighter smile no less – he found it just a little easier to reciprocate the warm expression. Despite the months that had passed, he didn't find it the least bit surprising. The older man had always been one to bring cheer to others. Even now, despite everything he'd lost, that was just what Kurt needed, and he found himself feeling lighter than he had when he'd first arrived. He even found himself bold enough to ask the first question. 

"So... how's life post-NYADA?" 

It had come out from his lips before he could even think about it. He _was_ aware of when Adam had graduated, and yet he'd kept quiet throughout his engagement to Blaine. But as much as he'd imagined seeing it for himself, Kurt had never broached the topic of going to the ceremony in order to avoid yet another argument. After all, Blaine had been under the impression that the relationship wasn't a serious one. Kurt, in turn, let him think that even as his mind had gone through memories and dreams of the older man. 

Adam shrugged one shoulder. 

"It's not easy," he replied. "Even non-musical shows off Broadway are usually in such high demand that almost every role is hotly contested during the audition process." 

He shook his head. 

"Having NYADA on my applications does give me a bit of an edge. But there are so many talented performers – either former classmates, or students of Tisch and Julliard – that I know I'm lucky to be even be considered for even roles in the ensemble." 

A small smile spread onto his face. 

"But I have more luck on the other side of things. Playwriting and directing jobs for regional productions in the state of New York, for example, are slightly easier to come by." 

Despite Adam's ending his dialogue on a somewhat positive note, Kurt couldn't help but feel saddened by the news. He had always known that the theater business would be difficult to break into, especially for those not as fortunate as Rachel. This was more of the case on Broadway itself. The fact was that _he_ was less likely to catch a lucky break, even after graduating from NYADA. 

And hearing that Adam, talented that he was, also had difficulty getting a role somehow made his own prospects look even worse. 

"Kurt, that won't be _you_." 

Adam's firm declaration took him by surprise. It was as if he'd plucked the uncertainties out of Kurt's head and was now trying to assuage them. 

"It'll take some time, but you will play the male lead in a major Broadway production one day. And you'll have your friends and your... well, your fiancé at your side when you're recognized for your hard work." 

The look on Adam's face soon after finishing his sentence told Kurt that he'd instantly regretted mentioning Blaine. He wondered why that was the case. 

Moreover, he'd felt a pang shoot through his heart at the mention as well. Deep down, Kurt knew that breaking off their engagement – and breaking up with Blaine altogether – was for the best. However, that didn't stop the pain of losing his first love for good from surfacing from time to time. Add to that their complete failure to at the very least remain friends and the fact that Blaine had flunked out of NYADA out of grief, and he felt immensely guilty for what he'd done. 

"Is something wrong?" 

Once again, Adam's concern caught him off guard. Kurt didn't quite understand how the ex-boyfriend he'd so carelessly thrown aside in favor of reliving the Teenage Dream still cared about his well-being. It stung harder in light of the fact that once again, none of those he'd called his friends had bothered to check on him... or give any indication that they had found out about the break-up at all. 

"We... well, Blaine and I..." 

When the words wouldn't come to him, Kurt settled for holding up his left hand so Adam could see the bare ring finger. 

"Oh," was the answer. 

He chuckled, but didn't respond. Adam continued. 

"When did it happen?" 

Kurt noticed no real change in Adam's tone of voice at the bit of news he'd just heard. 

"About a month ago. We just couldn't stand living together without Rachel, Santana, or any of our other friends there as a buffer." 

That came out more bitterly than he'd intended it to. But the statement wasn't any less true because of it. Kurt's fear that he and Blaine would wind up hating each other was well-justified with how often they'd argued near the end of their relationship, along with Blaine's declaration that he would never forgive Kurt for breaking up with him. 

"I see." 

Adam's face was still impassive as he listened. It seemed that despite the more personal stake in Kurt's past, he wasn't about to allow any biases to color his view on what he was hearing. 

"We'd been suffocating each other for a while now," Kurt continued. "I mean, we had a three-hour fight over me wiping my mouth off a towel to get toothpaste off my face." 

Adam nodded, and it looked to Kurt like he was biting back a chuckle as he did it. Maybe his tone had made it seem more humorous than It had actually been. Who knew? One day, he could see if the argument was ridiculous as well. For now, however, the whole thing still served as a reminder that getting engaged at such a young age was a bad idea.  

He sighed. 

"And now he's back in Ohio after washing out of NYADA, and I can't help but feel like it's my fault." 

Adam shook his head and took a hold of his hand more hesitantly than he would have in the past. 

"You shouldn't," he replied firmly. "Blaine is an adult. Keeping up his grades despite heartbreak was his responsibility. And believe me, I know all about that." 

He winced at what he'd just said, but soldiered onward. 

" _You_ are not to blame for his actions, Kurt." 

Kurt couldn't help the smile spreading on his face. It felt nice to talk to someone who didn't lay the blame on his feet or held him responsible for Blaine's actions and emotional reactions. Even so, Adam's words were difficult to believe in at the moment. 

"Well, as lovely as it has been to chat about _him_ ," Adam continued. "I'd love to hear about your friends as well." 

Kurt smile faded a tiny bit. 

"I've haven't heard from them in months, but... Santana's gone on a music tour with our friends Mercedes and Brittany – who's also her girlfriend. And Rachel..." 

_Oh, boy._

"It's a long story, so I'll try to keep it short. Do you remember when I signed her up for the auditions for _Funny Girl_?" 

Adam nodded once, a small smile forming on his face. 

"Well, she got Fanny." 

He beamed. "That's fantastic!" 

Kurt wondered how he would tell the rest of story without getting frustrated all over again. 

"Not really. She became a total diva as soon as it happened. Seriously, she didn't even want an _understudy_ to learn her part." 

His jaw tightened at the reminder of her arguments with Santana. 

"So when Madame Tibideaux refused to bend over backwards for her, she up and quit NYADA. And it turns out _that_ was for nothing. She quit _Funny Girl_ , too, so she could go to LA and film a TV show." 

"Wow..." 

Once again, Adam showed very little judgment in his voice and facial expression. Kurt never really got a read on how the Englishman had felt about Rachel or Santana throughout their entire relationship. Despite his naturally cheerful demeanor, he'd never seemed the type to bend until the broke the way Kurt had. That quality, while admirable, would have definitely clashed with both girls' strong personalities. 

Before he could really think about it, however, he noticed the time on the clock. 

"Looks like we're out of time," he said with a light chuckle. 

His mood quickly sobered. 

"I'm sorry I put all this on you, Adam. We're not even together anymore, and you shouldn't have to listen to my problems." 

Adam shook his head. 

"Kurt, you still matter to me. And now that we've passed our awkward phase, I'll gladly lend an ear to your problems more often... as friends, if you think we can handle it." 

As the two returned to their station and spent the rest of the night feeding those who had come into the facility, Kurt felt much lighter than he'd had in months. Maybe Adam was right. Maybe there was a chance that they could, at the very least, be friends once again. 

**Author's Note:**

> BTW, I didn't mention Artie or Sam's updates (and only name-dropped Mercedes and Brittany) because Adam's never met them, and Kurt wouldn't have had the time to go into that much detail.


End file.
